In an effort to achieve physical fitness, people of all sizes, ages and physical abilities have used weight lifting, resistance training or conditioning as measures for improving or gaining muscle strength and tone throughout the body by lifting weights against the downward force of gravity. In one form of weight training, free weights that do not limit the user to a specific movement or exercise, such as dumbbells and barbells and a number of variations thereof, are used to perform repetitive lift exercises or are carried or moved during other exercise movements that are performed in conjunction with carrying the weights. Free weights are usually available in a set of individual weights of incremental weight amounts or, in the case of dumbbells and barbells, may be comprised of a set of modular plates of incremental weight that are assembled in weight stacks whereby each plate in the stack has a central hole through which the dumbbell or barbell shaft fits. The specific amount of weight of the free weights are chosen or adjusted based upon the targeted muscle, the type and desired result of the exercise and the physical ability of the particular user. Athletes have used free weight systems, including modular plates, to increase or decrease the counterweight loads during resistance training exercises by adjusting the total weight of the weight stack by increasing or decreasing the size and number of modular plates in the weight stack.
With respect to free weights, competitive athletes have used kettle bells (or kettlebells or Russian kettlebells) for decades to develop explosive multi joint strength and power. Generally, a kettle bell is comprised of a ball-like or other shaped weight (e.g., a cannon ball) and a handle. Kettle bells are usually constructed of solid cast iron and come in a variety of different and incremental weights associated with their particular mass and girth. In contrast with a typical barbell or dumbbell weight, the kettle bell's low center of mass relative to its handle makes the kettle bell especially functional in exercises that use dynamic swinging or arcing movements designed to incorporate the entire body as a functional “kinetic chain” that transfers strength and power through the muscles in a series of linked movements across a variety of angles.
However, despite the unique form of exercise provided by the kettle bell, existing kettle bell designs have a number of disadvantages. For example, unlike existing dumbbells and barbells, the weight amount of an individual kettle bell is typically not adjustable and therefore, unfortunately, a variety of individual kettle bells of differing sizes and weights are needed to provide a range of weight amounts. Disadvantages of such sets include the amount of storage space needed to store the set and the drastic increase in the cost of purchasing an entire set. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an individual kettle bell whose total weight amount is adjustable.
In connection with neuromuscular exercise and resistance training, acute vibration has also been applied to the body during exercise and, as documented in scientific literature, has demonstrated a positive impact on improving muscle strength, muscle power and balance. See e.g., Cochrane D. J., et al., “The Acute Effect of Vibration Exercise on Concentric Muscular Characteristics,” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(6): 527-534 (2008). Currently, there exists a number of whole body vibration platforms designed to target the lower body musculature and there exists a limited number of devices, namely vibration plates, that apply vibration over a relatively large surface are of the upper body in an effort to trim abdominal fat. There also exist a limited number of devices that apply vibration to the upper body musculature using vibrating cables, dumbbells and barbells. One form of perturbating dumbbell is available commercially and is referred to as the Galileo® Up-X Dumbbell and is made by the German company, Galileo Systems. According to the scientific literature, the oscillatory movements of the muscle, as a result of the vibration, are thought to cause the rapid repeating of eccentric/concentric muscle contractions and the stretching of the muscle fibers thereby increasing the metabolic rate of the muscle.
However, there are disadvantages associated with the existing devices for applying vibration to the body musculature. For example, the majority of the small number of upper body devices that have incorporated vibration technology in them are relatively cumbersome, bulky and heavy due to the added vibration capabilities and therefore, are limited in the ways that the devices can be used and without causing tissue damage in comparison to conventional free weights. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a device that effectively imparts a vibration to the upper body muscles and yet, has the size, weight and shape that is similar to a conventional free weight so that it may be used with the relative ease and range of movements provided by a free weight.
In another example, the vibration capabilities in the existing devices are generally not battery-operated and therefore, power cables are necessary to supply power to the device. Thus, the freedom to move the device is further constrained by the fact that it is tethered by the power cable. Therefore, it would also be desirable to have a device that effectively imparts a vibration to the upper body muscles that does not require a power cable connection between the device and the power source in order to provide power to the device.
In addition, currently there are no existing devices having some type of vibration technology that resemble a kettle bell having a low center of gravity or center of mass. As used herein, the term “low center of gravity” or “low center of mass” is defined to mean that more than half of the weight associated with the device is placed below a plane parallel to the floor and bisecting the kettle bell between its upper and lower extremities when the latter of which is resting on the floor in a storage position. Such a device allows the dynamic swinging and support exercises that are available with a kettle bell to be combined, along with the added training stimulus provided by vibration. Thus, it would be desirable to have a kettle bell-like device that incorporates into it some type of vibration technology for imparting an oscillatory force on the muscles of the upper body.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.
The present invention combines a vibratory system with a hand-held resistance device having a pendulous shape of “low center of gravity” or “low center of mass” and adjustable weights and thereby provides the opportunity for a unique, multi-faceted neuromuscular load. The vibration caused by the vibratory technology, for example, by the device's internal motor, causes alternating accelerations towards and away from the pull of gravity. The vibratory oscillations increase the acceleration on the device. The laws of physics state that the amount of force (“F”) imparted by an accelerating object is equal to the object's mass (“m”) multiplied by its acceleration (“a”). Thus, F=ma. Accordingly, the increase in acceleration due to the vibratory activity of the device can therefore advantageously increase the force or resistance that the device transfers to the muscles without ever adjusting the object's mass. However, in conjunction with the benefits created by the vibratory activity of the device, the device of the present invention also provides a unique system for adjusting the weight or mass of the device. In this way, both the mass and acceleration of the device can be used to train the neuromuscular system.
Viewing acceleration and mass separately provides a picture of how each of these overloads can act synergistically to improve the neuromuscular fitness of the user. For example, as discussed in detail below, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a vibratory motor mounted towards the bottom of the device as far as possible from the device's handle. This creates a long lever arm from the handle to the vibratory source and therefore, mechanically increases the impact of the vibration during exercise performance. Additionally, the lever arm length, i.e. the length between the handle and the vibratory motor, has been designed so that the device provides the optimal frequencies, i.e. 25-35 Hz, for maximizing the neuromuscular response while minimizing the potential for muscle, connective tissue, neuronal or vascular damage.
With respect to the mass aspect of the device, the counterweight system of the present embodiment is attached to the vibratory motor shaft and features two parallel mounted weights. Because the device is intended to move through various planes of motion during exercise and the displacement caused by the vibratory motor is multidirectional, the vibratory stimulus will be applied in multiple directions allowing the neuromuscular improvements to occur in multiple places of movement, as opposed to the single plane of movement response that is common with standard, conventional resistance training equipment.
As a result, the level of neuromuscular activity is increased when the vibratory stimulus is applied and therefore, the level of fatigue, as measured by time to failure, is increased. Putting these two facts together, the device of the present invention has the potential to offer a more efficient, less time-consuming and more palatable exercise option compared to standard exercise equipment and techniques.